Inspiring Stories

There's a story behind every application. Read about some of the inspiring journeys others have made from applicant to medical student to physician. If you are a medical student or resident and would like to participate in an Inspiring Stories interview, please contact AspiringDocs@aamc.org for more information.

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Aisa Iyawe

Aisa, an immigrant who experienced homelessness after moving to the US, says her hardships provided opportunities for growth and motivated her to become a doctor and work with underserved populations.

Rebecca M. Lynch

Rebecca, who has dyslexia and struggled with general chemistry, says her biggest obstacle was overcoming self-doubt. She wants to remind premeds that no one expects you to be perfect and not to give up.

Andy Chen

Andy took the MCAT exam seven times and applied to medical school twice before getting one interview and acceptance. He reminds premeds to have faith in themselves and that perseverance and grit are important for a career in medicine.

Diego R. Dasilva, MD

Diego, born in Brazil, was the first in his family to complete college and started off as an average student. Now he's a dermatology resident who wants premeds to know you don't need to come from an educated or affluent family to succeed in the medical field.

Britt DeRuyter

A former nurse, and mother of four young children, Britt wants other non-traditional students to know that determination and motivation are more important in determining success than the time in your life that you start medical school.

Justin Mauser

Justin's two unsuccessful application cycles allowed him to have gap year experiences that confirmed medicine was right for him, including becoming an EMT, scribing, and doing a cross-country bike tour for charity.

Pavan Mehat

Pavan on why he's glad he took time to get a master's degree before medical school, and the importance of doing activities because you're passionate about them, not just because you think they'll look good on your application.

Luis E. Seija

As someone who took the MCAT exam five times and applied to medical school twice, Luis wants pre-meds to know there's no recipe for a perfect applicant and there's no point in comparing yourself to your peers.

Cesar Eber Montelongo Hernandez

Cesar couldn't apply to medical school when he first graduated from college due to his undocumented status. Now he's in a MD-PhD program and hopes to practice in the Southwest where there's a high need for Spanish-speaking physicians.

Andrew Zureick

As a first year medical student, Andrew co-authored a guidebook for high school and college students in STEM majors and careers. Now he's taking a gap year during medical school to pursue full-time research.

Arhanti Sadanand

Arhanti taught a Medical Spanish elective for her peers in medical school to help them establish rapport with their Spanish speaking patients, and hopes to continue to incorporate the Spanish language in her career in pediatrics.

Mike Hoaglin

After working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology in Washington, D.C., Mike helped create a chapter of AcademyHealth at the University of Pennsylvania - to promote health services research and policy...

Cheri Blauwet

After overcoming a spinal cord injury, Cheri decided that she was not sick or flawed because she moved around on wheels instead of on two feet. Today, she brings this sense of acceptance and positive self-identity to patients.

Andrew P. Ordon, MD

Dr. Ordon balances careers as a surgeon and informational talk show host, and explains how his experience on an Emmy-winning television show led him to volunteer for medical charities around the world.

Training in a Residency or Fellowship

The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health care through innovative medical education, cutting-edge patient care, and groundbreaking medical research. Its members are all 152 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 80 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC serves the leaders of America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and their more than 173,000 full-time faculty members, 89,000 medical students, 129,000 resident physicians, and more than 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences.